Agenda item

Public Participation

Cherry Riley and Alysha Green of Bradford on Avon addressed Council on this motion.

The Chairman reported receipt of the above mentioned motion from Councillors Jon Hubbard and Trevor Carbin.

Accordingly, Councillor Jon Hubbard moved the following motion which was duly seconded by Cllr Trevor Carbin:

‘Council notes the reforms to the Integrated Youth Service outlined in the cabinet report of 15th May 2014.

Council recognises the plans for a more community led model, and supports the concept of communities having more control over identifying the best delivery model for provision of Positive Activities for Young People through the development of Local Youth Networks (LYN).

Council also notes that every Area Board will have a Community Youth Officer assigned who will work with community groups  to develop the new offer and support the developing LYNs.

Council further notes that all youth provision in existing Youth Development Centres and street based youth work supported by the Integrated Youth Service will cease by 30th September 2014.

Council is concerned at the impact of these sudden changes on young people and Wiltshire's communities when the service closes.

Council recognises that when consulted on the changes Young People responded more than anything else that they valued the benefits of having professional youth workers to support them in personal development and decision making, especially the additional support available in times of personal crisis.

Council therefore requests the administration to use the £225,000 recently identified from senior staff savings to provide a transitional service for the next 18 months. This service could provide street based youth workers to work with existing and emerging community providers to support young people within their communities and ensure that the LYN's are voicing the needs of young people in the wider community including the villages.

This will also help to deliver positive activities requested by Young People and not activities imposed on Young People - thus responding to a key concern expressed by Young People during the consultation process.

Council believes that this transitional arrangement will help Area Boards and LYNs to ensure the new Young People's funding best meets the actual needs of Young People in communities; thus better enabling communities to work towards fulfilling the opportunities presented by the new operating model approved by Cabinet’.

Councillor Hubbard in presenting his motion to Council, explained that the motion was not in respect of the changes to the youth service already made by Cabinet as he acknowledged those decisions had already been made. His motion was in respect of the implementation of those decisions in respect of delivery of the service. He considered that the changes were being made too quickly and that the concept of youth work services being delivered whilst being a good approach, needed to be phased in gradually. He commented that communities would need time to train and support those engaged to deliver the service and he considered that making the changes this quickly was a high risk approach which left no room for manoeuvre should things not go according to plan.

Councillor Laura Mayes, Cabinet member for Children’s Services responded to the motion. She expressed her disappointment with the motion which seemed to pre-suppose there were additional monies available to continue to fund the service in the way it had been delivered. She considered that children did not like change and uncertainty and the decisions over the future delivery of the youth services had been reached following extensive consultation with the youth of the County. Due to financial constraints, a change to the service was inevitable and children had agreed to work with the Council to arrive at a workable solution. She urged Council to reject the motion to allow implementation of Cabinet’s previous decisions.

Having been moved by the Chairman and seconded and being put to the vote, it was

Resolved:

That the motion be debated.

The Chairman invited Group Leaders to speak on the motion before opening the debate to other members.

The Leader also confirmed that the additional monies needed to delivery the service with no changes simply did not exist. She was also dismayed at the motion having been put forward by Councillor Hubbard, who she said had also voted for the now approved budget. She was disappointed that this issue should be used as a political tool.

Councillor Ernie Clark considered that the motion if approved would at least provide transitional arrangements pending full implementation of the new scheme.

Councillor Dick Tonge, speaking as Cabinet member for Finance also confirmed the budgetary position and expressed his alarm at a motion that sought to provide additional funding which simply did not exist.

A lengthy discussion ensued, during which a number of points were made. Reference was made the role of Area Boards and how they could tailor delivery of the service to meet their own particular needs. A view was expressed that the Council could find the additional monies needed if it wanted to and that the service could be supported in other ways, not necessarily financial. In response to a question from Councillor Jeff Osborn, Councillor John Thomson confirmed that Court Street, Trowbridge was not currently being sold.

The motion was then put to the vote and LOST and it was therefore

Resolved:

That motion number 12 – Youth Service be NOT adopted.

Recorded Vote

A recorded vote having been requested by the requisite number of Councillors, the voting was recorded as follows:

For the motion (30)

Councillors Desna Allen, Glenis Ansell, Pat Aves, Nick Blakemore, Trevor Carbin, Chris Caswill, Terry Chivers, Ernie Clark, Brian Dalton, Dennis Drewett, Peter Edge, Nick Fogg, Jon Hubbard, Chris Hurst, George Jeans Bob Jones, Simon Killane, Gordon King, Howard Marshall, Magnus Macdonald, Ian McLennan, Steve Oldrieve, Helen Osborn, Jeff Osborn, David Pollitt, Ricky Rogers, Ian Thorn, John Walsh, Nick Watts, Ian West,

Against the motion (49)

Councillors Chuck Berry, Richard Britton, Allison Bucknell, Mark Connolly, Christine Crisp, Christopher Devine, Andrew Davis, Fleur de Rhé-Philipe, Stewart Dobson, Tony Deane, Peter Evans, Sue Evans, Richard Gamble, Jose Green, Howard Greenman, Molly Groom, Mike Hewitt, Alan Hill, Charles Howard, Keith Humphries, Peter Hutton, Julian Johnson, John Knight, Jerry Kunkler, Alan MacRae, Laura Mayes, Jemima Milton, Christopher Newbury, John Noeken, Paul Oatway, Sheila Parker, Graham Payne, Nina Phillips, Leo Randall, Jane Scott OBE, Jonathon Seed, James Sheppard, Toby Sturgis, John Thomson, Dick Tonge, Tony Trotman, Bridget Wayman, Fred Westmoreland, Philip Whalley, Stuart Wheeler, Roy While, Philip Whitehead, Jerry Wickham and Christopher Williams.

Abstentions (2)

Councillors Liz Bryant and Pip Ridout

Meeting Adjourned

The meeting adjourned for lunch at this point, 2.20pm and reconvened at 3.05pm.